Huawei to bring metal GX8 smartphone to the US market

Huawei may be one of the biggest smartphone brands in China, but in markets outside of Asia, it is almost non-existent. But the newly-announced GX8, which is made up of 90% metal, will actually be available in the US by the first quarter of 2016, signaling the Chinese OEMs intent to make a serious dent in this market. Specs-wise, it is a competitive mid-range device that can pose a challenge to Samsung, LG, Motorola, and other smartphones that have been significant in the Android platform.

Aside from having a 90% metal chassis, the aluminum uni-body design boasts of a 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD display and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen. It will be running on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, which is pretty decent compared to other smartphones in the segment. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage that can of course be expanded to 128GB though a microSD card.

Camera-wise, it has a 13MP main cam with OIS, sapphire sense and a wider aperture to give you better quality photos even in low-light situations. For the selfie-conscious, it has a 5MP front-facing camera. Other selling points of the GX8 include its fingerprint sensor (said to have a 94% unlock success rate), an accelerometer sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and a compass.

The Huawei GX8 will be available in three colors; golden, silver, and gray. It is priced at $349.99 and will be available in the US by approximately March 2016 through getHuawei.com, Amazon, BestBuy.com and selected Best Buy retail stores. You can check it out for the meantime at Huawei’s booth at CES 2016.